GirlBehindTheStrings

Anyone play any unusual instruments that you don't hear every day? If so please share!

Stephen

Excuse my ignorance but could you explain a bit what folk harp is? I assume you play like a normal full size harp? Do you just mean playing non-classical?


Edit: Er, ok having semi-educated myself on Wikipedia I see that folk harp refers to a smaller version of the harp. So what sort of music do you play on it?

Freebase Dali

My most unusual instrument is a Kalimba. And that's not that unusual, so there ya go.

Stephen

Kalimbas are great but the quality varies enormously.

Freebase Dali

Yea, the short notes on mine don't really resonate at all. So I only get 15 out of the 17 notes. The 15 notes are good, though, and don't rattle. Stays in tune, too. I like to place it on one of my congos and it acts like a huge resonator box, amplifying the sound very nicely. I could play an acoustic show with just the congos, and the kalimba, and it would be loud enough. Otherwise, I'd have to mic it.

GirlBehindTheStrings

The folk harp is smaller than a classical harp, but you change keys based on string levers as opposed to pedals. And although it is smaller the type of music you can play on it is justas challenging (if not more challenging) than the music you would play on a classical harp. I have been playing for 15 years now and I love it!

Blarobbarg

I play djembe, though that's not incredibly unusual. Just for my area.

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tygerlilyzz

A Jews Harp-aka a mouth harp
spoons
a washtub bass made of a metal wash tub, a broom handle and a string

Frownland

Does anyone make instruments? I've made one called "Dorophilihist" which was a 2 by 4 that had a wall spring that keeps doors from crashing into walls that you could whack and get a nice buzzing noise. There was also several guitar strings on the top with bridges throughout where you could get another pitch from each part in the string. It sounded nice with a slide and with a violin bow.

That's a pretty wretched description of it, but that's the best that I can do right now. Sadly, it got lost in my most recent move a year and a half ago. The strangest widespread instrument I play is the theremin, but that's not very world or folky, is it?

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Stephen

One of my favourite local bands Pony Face had a theramin player in their early days. Unfortunately he got busy with other projects but I saw him guest at one of their gigs.